Efficient irrigation management is essential for sustaining avocado production in California, where orchards are often located on sloping terrain with heterogeneous soils and rely on a combination of district or surface water and groundwater supplies. Avocado trees are highly sensitive to both water stress and salinity, making irrigation decisions related to scheduling and salinity management critical to long term orchard productivity and health.
In recent years, increasing water costs, variable district allocations, and greater reliance on groundwater have intensified the need for practical irrigation strategies. These challenges are especially relevant in California’s major avocado producing regions, where orchards vary widely in size, layout, and management capacity. As a result, irrigation recommendations must be flexible, scalable, and economically feasible, particularly for small and mid-sized operations.
To better understand how avocado growers are managing irrigation under current conditions, a survey of 85 avocado farms located primarily in San Diego, Ventura, Riverside, and Orange counties was conducted between 2023 and 2025. The survey captured information on irrigation water sources, orchard size, soil conditions, irrigation systems, scheduling practices, measurement of applied water, salinity concerns, and root zone health. Rather than prescribing specific technologies or practices, the survey was designed to document existing management approaches, identify common challenges, and highlight opportunities for incremental improvements.
The results presented in this article provide a snapshot of current irrigation practices across California avocado orchards. By linking water source strategies, soil and root zone conditions, irrigation scheduling, and salinity management, these findings offer practical insights that can help growers refine irrigation decisions and improve water management efficiency under real world orchard conditions. Findings reflect grower reported practices and observations and are intended to provide context and guidance for irrigation management decisions rather than prescribe specific practices.
Read the article in the Topics in Subtropics Newsletter:
https://ucanr.edu/county/santa-barbara-county/collection/topics-subtropics
